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USING MY VOICE
Looking back in order to look forward after a stroke
In May 2019, I was recovering from rotator cuff surgery when I had an unexpected stroke. As I continue to recover and learn to live with the challenges of aphasia and apraxia, I will share my story which usually requires me to look back at what happened so I can move forward. It is my hope that by sharing my experiences I can help other stroke survivors and their care partners and help them not only survive but THRIVE.
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Practice and Grow
🌸 Day 14 ✨ Affirmation: Everyday moments are opportunities to practice and grow. 🌱 Intention: Today, I will use something I learned in therapy (speech or mental)— a word, sound, or strategy — in my regular activities. 💭 Reflection: Therapy isn’t just what happens during an appointment — it’s what we carry into our daily lives. Speaking slowly, practicing sounds, or using gestures during real-life conversations helps progress stick. Remembering to breathe when a word excape
Cheryl
2 hours ago1 min read
Managing Frustration
🌿 Day 13 ✨ Affirmation: I stay calm and patient, even when communication feels hard. 🌱 Intention: Today, I will take a deep breath before responding when I feel misunderstood. 💭 Reflection: Frustration is a natural part of recovery — especially in conversations where words don’t flow the way they used to. I’ve learned that it’s okay to pause, breathe, and take a moment before reacting. Calm doesn’t always come easily, but with mindfulness, it becomes possible. Each time we
Cheryl
1 day ago1 min read
Advocating for Others
🌺 Day 12 ✨ Affirmation: My story and my voice can help others find their strength. 🌱 Intention: Today, I will speak up — for myself or for someone who hasn’t found their voice yet. 💭 Reflection: At first, I didn’t see myself as an advocate. I was just sharing what I’d learned, hoping it might help someone else. But that’s where advocacy begins — in small acts of honesty and courage. When we speak out, we give others permission to believe in themselves too.You never know w
Cheryl
2 days ago1 min read
Getting Back into Community
🌼 Day 11 ✨ Affirmation: The world still has a place for me — and I still have something to give. 🌱 Intention: Today, I will take one step toward being part of my community — a visit, a conversation, or simply showing up. 💭 Reflection: Re-entering the world after a stroke can feel scary. Crowds, conversations, or unfamiliar places might make you hesitate. But being part of your community doesn’t have to mean doing everything — it just means being present . Each time you ste
Cheryl
3 days ago1 min read
Connecting with Others Who Understand
🌷 Day 10 ✨ Affirmation: I am not alone — others understand and share my journey. 🌱 Intention: Today, I will reach out to someone who truly understands — online, in person, or through a shared story. 💭 Reflection: After my stroke, it was easy to feel isolated, like no one could really understand what I was going through. But connection came in unexpected ways — through others walking the same path. When you share your story, listen to someone else’s, or simply nod in reco
Cheryl
4 days ago1 min read
Teach Others How to Communicate with You
🌼 Day 9 ✨ Affirmation: I can teach others how to connect and communicate with me. 🌱 Intention: Today, I will show one person how to better understand or support my communication — with patience and confidence. 💭 Reflection: One of the hardest parts of recovery is when people don’t know how to talk to you — or they talk around you. It takes courage to teach others what helps, whether it’s slowing down, writing, using gestures, or giving you time. When we guide others with
Cheryl
5 days ago1 min read
Ask for What You Need
🌿 Day 8 ✨ Affirmation: I deserve a supportive team. My voice matters, and I am allowed to ask for the care I need. 🌱 Intention: Today, I will take one small step toward strengthening my recovery team — asking a question, writing a note, or letting someone support me. 💭 Reflection: After my stroke, I learned that recovery doesn’t happen alone. It takes many people — doctors, therapists, peers, and loved ones — each bringing something important. Building my “A-Team” wasn’t e
Cheryl
6 days ago1 min read
Caring for Your Whole Self
🌻 Day 7 ✨ Affirmation: My body, mind, and spirit all deserve care and kindness. 🌱 Intention: Today, I will do one small act of self-care — something that restores my energy or brings me peace. 💭 Reflection: Recovery takes so much of our time and effort that it’s easy to forget to nurture ourselves beyond therapy or practice. But living well means more than working hard — it means resting, nourishing, and showing love to ourselves too.Self-care isn’t selfish; it’s fuel for
Cheryl
Jan 71 min read
The Power of Routine
🌿 Day 6 ✨ Affirmation: Structure helps me thrive — I create routines that support my healing. 🌱 Intention: Today, I will follow one helpful routine — even if it’s just starting the day with gratitude, movement, or quiet reflection. 💭 Reflection: During recovery, my days often felt uncertain. But creating a daily rhythm gave me something steady to hold onto — small habits that helped me feel grounded and capable. Routines bring calm and confidence, especially when the rest
Cheryl
Jan 61 min read
Finding New Passions and Purpose
🌼 Day 5 ✨ Affirmation: I am open to new passions, new purpose, and new beginnings. 🌱 Intention: Today, I will try something new — or return to something I once loved in a new way. 💭 Reflection: Losing parts of the life you once had can leave a painful emptiness. But that emptiness can also become a space for something new to grow. After my stroke, I discovered passions I never knew I had — writing, connecting, sharing my journey. Purpose doesn’t always arrive loudly; somet
Cheryl
Jan 51 min read
Accepting the New You
🌸 Day 4 ✨ Affirmation: I accept who I am today — and that is enough. 🌱 Intention: Today, I will practice kindness toward myself. I will notice one thing I’m doing well, no matter how small. 💭 Reflection: Acceptance didn’t come easily after my stroke. I had lost my words. I couldn’t express what I wanted or needed. I needed helped with the most basic things. But over time, I realized that who I am now is still me — just with new strengths, new lessons, and perhaps a deeper
Cheryl
Jan 41 min read
Asking for Help
🌼 Day 3 Affirmation: ✨ Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness. Intention: I will ask for help when I need it — and receive it with gratitude, not guilt. Reflection: For a long time, I thought independence meant doing everything on my own. But healing taught me something different — that accepting help is actually an act of courage. It lets others care for us, and it reminds us that we’re not alone in this journey.When we allow others in, we also create connection — an
Cheryl
Jan 31 min read
Honoring Small Wins
🌸 Day 2 ✨ Affirmation: I honor each small step forward. My progress is real, meaningful, and enough. 🌱 Intention: I will notice and gently celebrate the small wins in my recovery, trusting that each one is leading me forward. 💭 Reflection: Recovery doesn’t always look the way I imagined it would. Some days, progress is quiet—one clear word, one shared smile, one moment of courage. It can be tempting to overlook these moments or wish they were b
Cheryl
Jan 21 min read
A New Year - time to live well
🌟 Welcome to 31 Days of Living Well A month of affirmations, intentions & reflections for people with aphasia, apraxia, and dysarthria The start of a new year often brings resolutions, pressure, and long lists of things we “should” do. But when you’re living with aphasia, apraxia, or dysarthria—when your life and communication have changed—January can feel different. Uncertain. Emotional. I know, because I’ve been there. What’s the next year going to hold? How much will I re
Cheryl
Jan 12 min read
My Word of the Year 2026
✍️ Every fall I start listening for my Word of the Year. It usually comes slowly. I notice patterns in what I read, what I hear, what keeps coming up in prayer and in everyday moments. Some years the word arrives early. This year, it waited for me. I didn’t get my new bullet journal until this November. Normally I start in September. But that delay gave me extra time to pay attention and really listen. Maybe it was the space I needed. As the year started winding down, one ide
Cheryl
Dec 17, 20255 min read
Navigating Disney with Invisible Disabilities
My Experience Being Denied DAS; then having ups and downs on my trip to the Magic Kingdom As a stroke survivor, I live every day with invisible disabilities—aphasia, apraxia, dysarthria, cognitive and sensory challenges with noise and light. These conditions aren’t always obvious from the outside, but they affect everything from how I communicate to how I navigate crowds, overstimulation, and confusion. When we planned our family trip to Disney, I wanted what every grandparen
Cheryl
Dec 14, 20255 min read
Keep Living Well
Day 31 As this 31-day journey comes to a close, I find myself filled with gratitude — for the process, for the growth, and for everyone who has followed along. Participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge has been both motivating and meaningful. It pushed me to show up each day, to reflect on my experiences, and to share what I’ve learned about living well after a stroke and with aphasia. Each post began as a simple idea — a moment of reflection, a lesson learned, or a truth
Cheryl
Oct 31, 20252 min read
Living Fully
Day 30 With a language or communication disorder, it can feel like life has narrowed — but it’s still possible to embrace a full, meaningful life.Living fully doesn’t mean doing everything you did before. It means finding ways to engage with the world, connect with others, and pursue the things that bring you joy and fulfillment. Each of us is here for a reason, with unique gifts to share. Recovery can be a way to discover, deepen, and express those gifts in new ways. Ways t
Cheryl
Oct 30, 20252 min read
Share Your Story
Day 29 I’ve changed this post several times. I didn’t know what direction I wanted to go. I want to inspire everyone to share their story in whatever way is comfortable. And I wanted to highlight a few people’s stories. Could I do both well in one blog post? We’ll see. Now that I know that today is World Stroke Day, I’m even more adamant that we need to share our stories. Our stories matter. And telling our stories can help others. After a stroke or brain injury, finding your
Cheryl
Oct 29, 20253 min read
Staying Connected
Day 28 Recovery after a stroke with communication challenges can make the world feel smaller. Words don’t come easily, energy is limited, and sometimes it’s tempting to retreat into yourself. I know I felt that way — lonely, frustrated, and unsure how to reach out without feeling like a burden. Yet connection, even in small ways, is a lifeline, helping our light shine and reminding us that we are seen, valued, and part of something bigger than our challenges. Here’s what has
Cheryl
Oct 28, 20252 min read
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